Do you own your business or does it own you? It is not uncommon for the majority of business owners to experience overwhelm, frustration and worry nearly every day. All of which are extremely counter-productive.
I was driven to write “It’s all in the design” because I firmly believe that most of the turmoil in our businesses could be alleviated, or greatly minimized, if better business design skills were implemented.
It’s really quite simple, in theory anyway. If you want something to do something, then design it to do so. Do you think the Chevy Corvette Z06, by sheer luck, is able to achieve 0-60 in 4.1 seconds? Or that McDonalds having over 30,000 restaurants serving 52 million people in more than 100 countries each day is a result of management throwing caution to the wind? Of course not,
IT’S ALL IN THE DESIGN!
Do you think it’s possible to design a small business that…
- Nets 6 figures each and every year?
- Makes money consistently week after week, with no slowdowns throughout the year?
- Allows you to spend the weekends with your families instead of at the office?
- Allows you to consistently stay ahead of the curve instead of behind it?
- Runs relatively smooth day in and day out, whether you are there or not?
- Empowers you instead of dis-empowers you?
Anthony Robbins says;
“If you do think it’s possible, you are absolutely right! If you don’t think it’s possible, you are absolutely right.“
We set the bar for ourselves! No one else!
Well known author, Michael Gerber asks you to ponder this question:
“So, what is your business designed to do”?
- If it is not specifically designed to run smoothly, it won’t!
- If it’s not designed to make you money, it will not!
- If it is not designed to add quality to your life, it will suck the life from you!
- If it is not designed to be in harmony with the rest of your life, you will always be in turmoil!
Sure, you may hit a hot streak here or there without proper business planning or designing, but you will never be able to sustain it! You will end up losing more than what you started with.
What to do?
- Start by believing in yourself and your abilities.
- Get crystal clear as to what you need your business to do.
- As the phrase goes: “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel”. Proper business building can be sped up by modeling people and businesses that have already achieved what you aspire to.
- Enlist the help of others. Write a list of the people who have knowledge, abilities and connections that might benefit you.
- Research-Research-Research. Read books. Pick people’s brains. Network at association meetings. Take action.
- Slowly move away from crisis management and into preventative maintenance.
- As you work each day, ask yourself the following questions:
How can this be improved? How could I become more efficient, more effective? How can I become more organized? How can I decrease daily stress for myself and coworkers? How can I make more money and work less?
“In order to take one step forward we inevitably must take two steps back. You may be asking the question, “So where is all this extra time necessary to revamp my business gonna come from”? Glad you asked!“
1. If you spend time alone in the car or on a train, bring your video ipod or laptop loaded up with business material.
2. Cut back on your TV usage. The average adult spends nearly 5 hours a day watching TV. If you are over 55 years old, that number jumps to 6 hours a day.
3. Spend 30 minutes each night before you go to bed brainstorming.
4. Write down ideas as they occur to you. Think about all the time you already waste and if you can’t figure that one out, I’m sure your spouse would be eager to open your eyes.
“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask.”
Anthony Robbins
For example: If you ask the question; “what can I do to make more money with my business”? You will come up with many ways to do just that. However quality control could, family life, even your health could diminish and none of these would be a good trade off for making more money. The question is much too vague.
This would be a better question; “What can I do to make more money while increasing the quality of my product, maintaining quality control, and reduce my work hours so that I may spend more time with my family” ! You are going to get a different set of answers, aren’t you!! So be careful which questions you ask!
More food for thought…In this fast paced, microwavable, I need it yesterday world, it’s very easy to be derailed. When you notice yourself slipping back into old patterns, and you will, gently reel yourself back in.
Do you have an” Achilles Heel”? By this I mean…An addiction or condition that could seriously compromise the success of you or your business? Perhaps it already has! Take a very close look at yourself and your unhealthy patterns. Be brutally honest. Your spouse would be of great help here as well.
For Example: If you are a “spend-a-holic” Your business may never be able to make enough money to get you out of debt or save for the future. If you have any unhealthy dependencies, these will greatly decrease your chances of developing and sustaining a successful business. If any of this is true, then you know where your journey must begin…
Small daily deposits will yield huge profits in just a short time! Start your new game plan now. Don’t let this day end without you having taken action. A winner can never be a failure if he learns from his mistakes. The people that have achieved the most have also made the most mistakes. So do not be afraid to make mistakes! But better to learn from other peoples mistakes.
I think Robert Frost said it best:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I…I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” The first road might lead you to an average life at best, the other….to greatness!“
“MAKE THIS YEAR THE BEST YEAR YOU’VE EVER HAD! IT’S ALL BY DESIGN!!”
Steven Arecco is available for lecturing on a multitude of business and personal development topics. Those topics can be found at www.stevenarecco.com. Apart from his time on stage, Steven is happy to support the event with any social or other interactions such as dinners or group activities. Steven will do everything within his ability to contribute to the success of your event, every time.
